Centrifugal separation and centrifugal filtration of liquids



C. F. FUL, J-l

CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATION AND CENTRFUGAL FILTRATION OF LIQUIDS M vk n. f l w KMF? ,W www. t.

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onnrs'rinn r. PAUL, JR., 'or AUSTIN, TEXAS] @FENTBIFUGAL SEPARATION AND CENTRIEUGAL FILTRATION DE LIQUIDS.

Application filed January 23, 1922. Serial No. 531,064.

'ica,'residing at Austin, in the county of 'ifi-avis and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful lm rovementsin Centrifugal Separation and, entritugal Filtration of Liquids, or which the following 1s a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to filters of the centrifugal type, and its chief object is to provide an apparatus of that class which will not only serve as an eiicient filter but will at the same vtime separate two oommingled liquids of dilierent speciiic gravities. To

this and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations hereinafter described.

Une form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 shows the apparatus. in vertical section" Fig. 2 "is a sectional plan view on line is illustrated', the combined filter Aand separator comprises a. cylindrical vessel mounted on. a vertical shaft 11 by which it may be revolved at a suitable speed, .the shalt itself being driven by any convenient ineens, not shown. rlhe vessel is closed by a removable' cover 12. provided with an up wardly open neck 13. The cooperating edges of the vessel and cover are grooved to receive a yielding gasket 111 which is compressed or dattened to give a liquid-tight `joint .by screwing down the clamping ring 15.

inside of and coaxial with the vessel 10 .and neck l'is a seriesy of superposed centrally apertured disks 115:, provided with low'annular recesses-1l" on their upper sand with spiral, radial and annular, or 'ither'wise suitably shaped, grooves or recesses At their outer edges the disks are each with a series of inlet passages 19 `ting in the recesses 17 and at their dr edges the disks are each provided with Jt passages 20 leading from the grooves Between the disks are rings 20 of iilter er, Vfelt, or other suitable filtering material., covering the grooves 18.` The lowermoet disk need not have its underside grooved but it is equipped with an upright tubeor passage 21 through which the liquid orlquids to Ibe clarified are introduced. it willA be understood that the disks 16 and the l above4 the same.

tube 21 are coaxial with the other revolving parts. The. uppermost disk, 16, has on its upper side a somewhat deeper recess (designated 22) and is provided at its inner and `outer edges with two serios of tubes 23, 24,

the former being inlet tubes for delivering material to the recess and the lattentubes being outlets for carryinfr away the material deliveredby the others. t will be noted that the outlet tubes extend up through the neck 13 and discharge laterally a slight distance It will also be noted that the tubes 23 have their intake orifices c lose to the outer wall of vessel 10. The lowermost disk, 16", may have no grooves or recesses on its underside,but rests on a series of radial ribs 10a on the bottom of the vessel 10 so that when the ring 15 is screwed down the disks will be pressed together, holding the liltering rings firmly but leaving ample space at the bottom of the disk assembly for the centrifugal flow of liquid delivered I through the supply tube 21.

The parts described above, constituting the bowl of the combined separator and filter,

are enclosed in a non-rotating housing 25 .24, respectively are discharged, and from which the effluents escape by way oi discharge 'spouts 31, 32.

-With the bowl revolving at a suitable Speed, liquid delivered intotube 21, at the top, descends therein and under the influence of centrifugal foi-ce, passes under the disk assembly to the annular space between the disks and the side walls of vessel 10. Here more or less oi the heavier suspended particles are promptly thrown outwardly to the vessel walls. Rising in the aforesaid space or separation chamber the heavier portion seeks the ,outer wall, and, reaching the inlet orifices of the tubes 23, passes into the same together with heavier' particles carried by such portion or the liquid and flows into the annular recess 22.v From the latter the liquid and the particles carried by itiiow into `tubes 24 and rising in the latter are delivered to chamber 30 forA discharge through spout 32. At the same time the lighter li uidenters the orilices19 .in the disks 16, i. ows upwardly through the filtering 2Q into the grooves 18 (leaving the suspended particles or colloidal matter behind), and thence out through the ports 9.0 into the space or annular collecting chamber around the nlet tube 2l. Rising through this space into the neck 13, the clarified liquid overflows the latter into chamber 29 and thence escapes through spout 3l.

The amount oi liquid discharged 'from the edge 13a ot neck 13 depends upon the rate at which the liquid can pass through the filter, which in turn depends (other conditions being constant) upon the density ot the liltering medium employed. lf the rate of delivery lof liquid to the machine is less than or no greater than the capacity of the lilter to pass the liquid, there may be no discharge at all from the tubes ill, which, as pointed out before, extend above the top of neck 13. Moreover, it will be observed that the tubes 24 discharge at a point nearer to the axis of the bowl than does the neck` 13. These vertical and radial dill'erences between the discharge points aflord the hydrostatic and centrifugal head or pressure required lo force the liquid inwardly and upwardly through the filter. On the other hand, if the supply of liquid to the machine is greater than the filtering capacity' the, excess will esape,through tubes 23 and 2l, carrying with it more or less of the heavier suspended particles.

The tubes are made of resilient mattL rial and tend to spring' out radially but are restrained by a conically threaded ring: 33 cooperating with correspondingly threaded lugs 3i on the tubes. `By screwing,r the ring up or down the tubes are swunpr toward or from the axis of rotation, thus varyinglr as desired the difference of centrifugal pres sure between their discharge Vorifices and the upper edge of neck 13, according to the density of the filtering medium. as will be readily understood. Thus the difference in centrifugal head is least when the tubes are "e rtical and greatest when they are swung inwardly against the tube E21.

lt is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific construction herein illustrated and described but can be lembodied in other forms without departure from its spirit.

I claiml. In an apparatus for centrifugal filtration and separation, in combination, a sepa rating,r chamber arranged with its axis verti cal and mounted to rotate. thereon; a rotating filtering head inside of the separating,r chamber and comprising a series of coaxial filtering disks and layers of filtering material interposed between said disks, said filtering head being' of less diameter than the separating chamber to provide an annular separating space therein and adapted to receive liquid to be filtered from said space; and means Lasarte for discharging liquids separately from said annular space and filtering head under suitable difl'erence of pressure.

2. ln an apparatus for `centrifugal filtration and separation, in combination, a separating chamber mounted to rotate on a vertical axis and'having an upwardly estending coaxial neck, a. rotatable filtering head arranged in the separating chamber to receive unfiltered liquid therefrom and having a central vertical passage to receive filtered liquid, means for delivering liquid to be filtered through said neck to the separat ing' chamber outside of the filtering head, and means for discharging separately through said neck under suitable difference ofpressure liquids from the filteringr head passage and separating chamber.

3. ln an apparatus for centrifugal iltration and separatiomfin combination, a rotatn able filtering head having a central axial passage, comprising a plurality or" coaxial centrally apertured superposeddisks haring,r filtering recesses and a plurality or' layers ot' filtering material between the disks1 said filtering head having inlet passages leading from its outer surface to the ltering recesses and outlet passages leading from the filteringl recesses to the central axial passage; a rotatable separating chamber coaxial with and enclosing the filtering head; means for delivering liquid to be filtered through the axial passage in the filtering' head to the separating chamber, and means for discharging' separately, through paths adjacent to the axis and under suitable differences of pressure, liquid from the separating chamber and liquid from the filteriurv head passage. y

il. In an apparatus for centrifugal filtration and separation, in combination.I a holn low filtering head adapted for radially in ward flow of liquid to be filtered, a separatinzgr chamber enclosingr the filtering head and coaxial therewith, means for receiving filtered liquid from the interior of the head and discharging: the same outside, means for taking heavier liquid Afrom said separating chamber and discharging it outside under less pressure than that under which liquid from the filtering head is' discharged, and means for rotating the head and the chamber.

5. ln an apparatus for centrifugal liltration and separation, in combination, a hollow filtering head through which the liquid to be filtered flows inwardly to the interior of the head, means for discharging liquid from they interior of the headat ar point above the head, a separating chamber enclosing the head and coaxial therewith, means for conveying liquid from the separating chamber in a radially inward direction and discharging the liquid at a point lBES anove the point` of discharge of the filtered liquid, and means for rotating the said head and chamber.

6. In an apparatus for centrifugal filtration and separation, iu cmbination, a hollow filtering head having filtering passages adapted to receive liquid from the outside of the head and deliver it into the interior of the head, means for receiving filtered liquid from the. interior of the head and discharging it at a peintl above the head, a separating,r chamber surrounding the head and coaxial therewith, means for conveying unfiltered liquid fromjthe separatingY chamber and dischargingjt 'under a centrifugal head of predetermined value relative' to the centrifugal head on the filtered liquid, and means for varying the centrifugal head en the unfiltered liquid.

7. In a centrifugal separator, means for discharging, at two separated points with a. difference of centrifugal head, liquid delivered to the separator, and means for shiftinglr at. least onee'f said separated dischargey signature.

CHRISTIAN F. PAUL, JR. 

